A True Desire
by thisisvampiregirl
Summary: Integra finds herself being tested once again by Alucard...with rather interesting results. An update! Unbelievable... First Fanfic, please comment. Criticism is welcomed. I do not in any way own Hellsing! (AxI)
1. Chapter One

(A/N) This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I got such wonderful reviews that I decided to keep it going. Hope you enjoy! : )

Integra Hellsing had just finished taking her afternoon tea, when she felt the presence of another with her. Without looking up from her paper, she waved her hand towards a corner of the room.

"Leave me be, Alucard. I am resting."

It had been only a few days since the incident that had placed her under doctor's care, and though she knew full well that her abilities were mostly back up to par, it did not test her conscience to use the excuse to gain a little peace from the creature that stalked the Hellsing halls.

There was silence as her answer, but if he thought that alone could fool her, then he was sorely mistaken.

"I said LEAVE, Alucard. That is an order."

Only then did she feel his presence depart, and once more was able to feel the calm settle in upon her. It was no secret to either of them that his presence caused a great irritation to her. No matter who he served, it did not change who he was or what he was.

"Confound the man," she muttered. "Even when away, he is an irritation."

Her head jerked up at the sound of distant laughter, and she felt her blood begin to boil.

"Alucard, I'd like a word with you." She threw down her paper when he didn't appear. "Now, Alucard!"

A portion of the wall containing her father's portrait shimmered and the vampire appeared, clad in his usual crimson ensemble.

"Suddenly, you now wish me present...is there something wrong, my master?" The mocking tone of his voice infuriated her as ever, and she rose from her chair in a way that conveyed her regal manner.

"How is it that you dare to take that tone with me, Alucard? For one who considers himself to be such a glorious being, you have a most unusual way of showing any sort of manners or grace to the one you call master."

The vampire swept off his hat and made a low bow. Smiling up at her through a thick tuft of black hair, he shrugged.

"There was never anything in my contract that said I had to treat my master with respect. I do your bidding, I am bound by that and nothing more."

The corner of Integra's firm mouth twitched upward.

"My bidding, Alucard...is that you treat me with respect. Show me those manners that are supposedly a point of pride for your kind."

His smirk faded, and he curled his lip in distaste.

"That is much less fun, my master."

She sank back down into her chair, and, after removing her spectacles, waved her hand at him once again.

"You may go."

"In a moment."

Integra replaced her newly cleaned glasses and stared at him.

"Is this yet another refusal to submit to my will?"

His smirk was back, and he laughed before raising a hand in an effort to stay the inevitable onslaught of chastisement.

"Could you say, dear master, that your wish is my every command?"

Integra made a disgusted noise in her throat and shook her head. His thoughts made no sense to her, and she did not care to ever understand them.

"Where did you pick that up, hmm?" she replied. "Do you find the common phrase amusing, and now wish to bother me with it as a game? Fine, Alucard. Yes. My wish is your every command."

His laughter erupted so suddenly that even Integra felt a bit ruffled, and wondered if she had said something that would put herself or the organization in jeopardy.

"What do you find so funny, Alucard?" She spit his name out like the filth that it was, and knew that he was aware of her quickly building rage.

"Dear master, tell me that it is not your wish to drink of me? Tell me that it is not your wish that I taste of you once again? Your words will lie, but I am no fool."

Integra felt her skin grow cold as she realized the trap he had lured her into.

"You are, Alucard. If you think that I will EVER submit to you--"

She gave a small grunt as he was suddenly behind her, pulling her to him.

"Release me at once, you foul and LOATHSOME creature!"

The vampire pulled her closer still, until she could feel his cool breath on her cheek.

Integra gritted her teeth and fought against him silently.

"This...isn't...happening!"

With a gasp, she jerked her head up from the desk, her daily paper sticking stubbornly to one cheek. She ripped it off and sent it flying across the room in a rage. So...he was in her dreams now, was he? Her eyes, wide only moments before, now narrowed to slits.

"I know you're watching this, and I know that you find it most amusing. May I remind you that this amusement is at my expense and will not be tolerated?!"

Integra knew he was listening, but he was not revealing himself to her. Impatiently, she stood and grabbed her cane. She was not going to sit and wait for him.

"As leader of this organization, and last heir of the Hellsing family, I will not be toyed with by my own PET!"

She hoped that he would be angry when she finally reached his dungeon. She was baiting him the whole trip down. Her cane accentuated every other word as she dug up all of the things she knew would get to him most. Truth be told, Integra felt she had been violated. He had been in her dreams, and she was going to see to it that such a thing never happened again!

"You are a pathetic excuse for a vampire, Alucard. You are no different from the freaks we've been fighting, and I do not care if you live or die." The last bit surprised her, and she pondered where she had ever gotten the thought that such a comment would hurt his pride. But it was no matter. She had reached the dungeons.

Swinging open the door, she made her way down the dark stone halls. The steady clack clack clack of her cane echoed into the darkness and was swallowed up. After a time, she at last was able to make out a crimson form at the end of the hall. He was sitting in that chair, as usual. His hands were folded neatly in his lap, and a table with a single glass of red fluid rested beside him. She did not fail to notice, however, that his usual ridiculous hat and glasses were missing.

"Explain yourself, Alucard." Her voice was flat and carried only the dullest hints of anger.

"Do you feel you have succeeded in angering me with your words? Are those the only weapons that mighty Sir Hellsing has brought to fight with? I find that absolutely...pathetic."

He was testing her, it was never any different. Life with Alucard was nothing but tests.

"Violating my dreams was the last straw, Alucard."

A long-fingered hand took up the delicate glass and swirled the liquid inside.

"What I want to know, dear master...is why you are so upset...?"

She threw down her cane and took another step towards him.

"I am your master. Do you really think that you can play these games and get away with it?!" Her eyes flashed with anger, and she gnashed her teeth together as she realized that he was finding her outbursts enjoyable.

"What a perfect way to spend my evening..." Alucard grinned at her in a way that felt more like a leer. "You are the only human who has ever made my blood boil quite like this..."

"SHUT UP!" Integra screamed. "I WILL TAKE YOUR DISRESPECT NO LONGER! I AM INTEGRA WINGATES HELLSING AND YOU ARE MINE TO CO--mmph!!"

To her horror, Alucard had risen from his seat, and was now embracing her, his lips silencing her fiery speech. She could not hope to push him off of her, and even as part of her recoiled in disgust at the thought of his inhuman flesh pressing against hers, she was resigned to admit that there was a part of her that welcomed it, however faintly.

After a moment, she at last found strength to push him from her, and gasping for breath, began anew.

"How dare you use your black magic to try and seduce me?! I have no idea where you think you have the power to--mmph!!" Again, he silenced her, and

again, she felt her strength leaving. Her skin burned with fire from rage and, she told herself, nothing more.

"STOP THIS MADNESS AT ONCE, ALUCARD!!!" She was at last able to scream, and as he moved towards her once again, she lashed out and tore his lip with her teeth.

Her stomach flip-flopped as she realized her actions had only succeeded in releasing a low moan from the creature that was holding her so tightly to him, and he sought her lips more passionately than even before.

Integra found herself shaking from effort. She was feeling things that she was unfamiliar with, and they felt forced upon her. Moreover, she felt powerless to stop him. With newfound strength from this thought, she began to scratch and kick and bite him whenever a chance was presented.

This proved quickly to be a mistake. Alucard, it seemed, was enjoying himself far too much. He wore a grin that she had never seen before, and there was a glint in his eye that was full of surprising heat.

At last, through amazing effort on her own part, a voice inside of her reminded her of who she was, and with a voice much more like her own, she gave a true command to stop. She had realized her folly, now. Alucard did not obey mere words. He obeyed only desires. For all she knew, he probably didn't even really hear the words. Only the meaning behind them was necessary to know what his command was.

As soon as she truly desired for it to end, he let go of her, and stepped back into the shadows. She half-expected to hear him laugh or make a sneering remark, but there was only silence. She began to search the darkness for her cane, only to see it standing on its own and upright, just beside her. Snatching it out of the air, she turned and walked away, leaving the shadows behind her.


	2. Chapter Two

Integra chewed the tip of her cigar in frustration as she found her mind wandering yet again to the events of a week ago. She had done her best to forget what had happened, and indeed thought that perhaps she had convinced Alucard that she had...but she wasn't convincing herself of it. The thought provoked an especially strong tightening of her jaw, causing Integra to spit out the now severed tip and throw it into the trash can beside her bed.

She was aware of the increased speed with which she was emptying her cigar tins. Walter had been raising his eyebrow like an idiot for the past few days as they had begun appearing religiously on the grocery list.

She ignored him in areas such as these just as she ignored everyone else. The man had no idea what she had done down in the dungeons with Alucard, and had no idea what the memory was doing to her.

It had become a nightmare to even think. Every feeling she had came tinged with a bit of fear that it might be somehow used against her. "Curse it, I should have been born a man!" Integra regretted the words as soon as they had left her mouth. It was not like her to feel that her sex made her weak. She had always had great fear of living in the shadows of men, and...Integra gave a small gasp. "Get out of my room," she hissed, feeling the atmosphere of the room swiftly changing.

"Surely you weren't referring to _my_ shadows, dear Sir Integra?"

"What is it that brings you here, Alucard?" asked Integra in as steely a tone as she could muster after having been so caught off guard.

The vampire's upper lip curled, revealing a flash of white. "I distinctly thought I heard my master 'say' the word "sex" and decided to investigate further." He had now materialized and was leaning, arms folded, against one of the posters at the foot of Integra's bed. "Was I mistaken? I could have been mistaken, you know."

He was grinning madly, and she knew full well that he was not at all unsure of what he had heard. She stared up at him for a moment, trying to pierce through those red eyes of his and discover what he was up to.

"Alucard, this is my bedroom. It is the only place besides the library that I feel any sort of peace in. However, your presence cancels that out. I'm well aware that you could care less about threats to my health, but know this: Enter this room uninvited ever again, and I shall not hesitate to lock you up like so many years ago!"

Alucard's grin never faded, never wavered. When he saw that she was done, he took a step towards her, and sat down on the side of her bed. Integra could feel his weight depressing the mattress, and gave in to the urge to shift her leg just a little farther away from him.

"You have thought about that day quite often, master." To Integra's surprise, his glasses and hat suddenly erupted into thick shadow and curled themselves away into his dark hair. "But still not as often as I." His voice had become rough, and there was a hunger in it that caused an uneasy stirring deep within Integra's being.

"I suppose that this does need discussing, since you have brought it up." Integra began, forcefully pushing all emotions and misgivings to the darkest reaches of her mind. "You had better know that what happened last week was a fluke. It was an anomaly, an absurdity, and it will never happen again. I, for one, was still weak from my accident, and you," Integra paused to give Alucard an appraising once over accompanied by a sneer, "_You_ were probably just horny."

Alucard's grin faded, and his eyes flashed with disapproval. "What a tongue you have, _Integra_." The grin returned soon after this statement, as it had clearly evoked a memory.

Integra felt her face growing hot with shame. "You've had your fun, little _pet_," she spat. "If you do not wish to leave with your tail between your legs, I suggest that you make an exit immediately."

Alucard chuckled as he felt the silver tip of a small pistol burn into the flesh of his forehead. "I'm beginning to think you rather _enjoy _hurting me, Master." He drew her title out like an insult, standing abruptly as he spoke. "Sweet dreams," he called mockingly as his form dissolved away, leaving Integra to her empty room.

As soon as he was gone, Integra tore her eyes from the place where he had last been and looked down at the pistol in her hands. It was shaking. Allowing a snort of disgust, she tossed the useless weapon onto the surface of the nightstand, watching it slide a little before stopping.

"I always did prefer silver over gold," she whispered derisively before turning out the light.


	3. Chapter Three

Integra woke up the next morning in a very foul mood. She'd spent the night having dreams of a very _awkward_ nature, and they had left her feeling irritated and not a little bit on edge. She muttered an oath under her breath as she remembered that a meeting with the round table had been scheduled for today.

After a morning of snapping at Walter and anyone else who stood in her way, she at last received word that the members were beginning to arrive. Integra smoothed her button-down suit jacket, and inspected her image in one of the many hall mirrors. Her glasses were clean, her collar was stiff, and everything seemed to be in order.

Feeling that perhaps the day could be salvaged, Integra felt the corners of her mouth turn up ever so slightly, and began to make her way to the conference room. She no longer needed her cane, and the limp she had been trying to hide was not as much of a bother as it had been in past days.

Integra was just passing another particularly large and ornately-framed mirror when she narrowed her eyes and paused. It was not her reflection that she had noticed looking back at her.

"Alucard," she said coolly, regarding the image of the vampire that was staring back from the cold glass surface.

"Master," he replied, his ever-present grin stretching his lips inhumanly.

"I'm not in the mood for your games, today," Integra said while folding her arms. "Go back to your cellar room, and stay there until you are called for." She pushed her glasses just a little bit higher onto the bridge of her nose. "That is an order."

Alucard's image began to undulate, swiftly turning into an inky black mass of shadow before disappearing. Integra was left staring at herself, until she felt someone behind her and whipped around, gun already cocked and raised.

There was no one there.

"I said no games, Alucard!" Integra was fuming. How dare he ever assume that he could assert control over her?

Already, she could feel the tendrils of fear that were probing the edges of her consciousness, and it caused her veins to burn with fire. She knew that her emotions were his power. Her emotions made her weak. And no matter that she had spent all of her life learning to control them...they were still unpredictable.

"Your wish is my command, Master." The words rang through Integra's head and she could not decide if it was her own thoughts that had conjured them, or if they had been brought forth by force.

"I wish you would leave me alone!" roared Integra, though inside she was wincing. Even to her, the words rang flat upon her ears.

There was the sound of low laughter from somewhere quite nearby, but still the vampire did not show himself.

"Fine, Alucard," growled Integra. "Go on then. Enjoy a laugh or two at my expense. I am still your master, and you will do as I say."

A black mist began to form at Integra's feet, and she stepped away, grimacing even as she watched it beginning to solidify. Within moments, the form had taken the shape of a man. A shape no more 'true' than what it had been just before, she thought.

"Master."

Integra stepped back, slightly startled, as she watched him kneel at her feet.

"I am no longer bound by your words. I am bound by your desires. Whatever it is your heart wishes, that I will provide."

At that moment, Walter rounded the corner, and seeing Alucard bent in such a way, raised an eyebrow. He at first seemed as though he wanted to comment, but thought better of it, and turned to Integra.

"Sir Integra, everyone has been assembled. They now await your presence."

Integra gave a curt nod, but remained silent.

"Very good, then."

After adjusting his monocle and giving her a look of some significance, Walter made a polite bow and left.

Alucard had stood by this time, and was grinning at her. "He suspects that we have become lovers."

Integra's gun flew up and delivered a bullet into the very middle of the vampire's forehead.

"I've got a meeting to attend, Alucard. Why don't you go play with your pet for a change?" 

She waited for his response, dreading it even before the words had slithered into her mind.

"Because, dear master...you do not wish it."

Integra left him there, standing in the hall. She never looked back because she knew exactly what she would see. She would see a man.

"_That_," thought Integra, "that is precisely the problem."


	4. Chapter Four

(A/N: Hey there. I'm really sorry about the long space between updates. School's been a pain. Please let me know if I should continue this, or not. Thanks)

Integra marched through the hallways towards the meeting place. At times, her purposeful stride was silenced by thick carpeting. At others, the heels of her shoes cracked menacingly upon marbled floors.

At last reaching the room, she threw open the doors without pause, and swept inside. He had better not try anything in here, she thought firmly.

Feeling a slight sweat beginning to come on from all of the earlier emotional exertion coupled by the brisk walk, Integra found her seat. After clasping her hands together and resting them on the table, she leaned forward and addressed the other members of the table.

"What is our business today? Let us make this quick, I am on a very tight schedule."

The other members, all older men, appeared slightly ruffled by her rude behavior, but after a sigh by few, and looks exchanged, a particularly short, bald man stood and began to give a detailed report about the current situation.

He had only just begun to speak, when a feather of cool air brushed against Integra's neck. Startled, Integra jerked her head to the left. She could feel a presence beside her, but saw nothing.

A few men raised their eyebrows at her, but as the speaker had obliviously continued his address, everyone's eyes were soon back on him. Integra withheld a sigh of contempt at having allowed herself to draw unnecessary attention, especially over nothing.

After a moment of inward composure, Integra began her attempts to lend an ear to the short man's droning voice. What the devil had he been talking about for the past five minutes, anyway? It hadn't sounded terribly important.

The thought shocked her, and she straightened in her chair. She hadn't thought such a thing since the earlier days of her schooling! All things discussed within the confines of the round table were important, whether her wandering mind considered it so, or not.

Another light puff of air slid silently past her neck, but this time, she was not startled. Not visibly, at least. Anger swelled within her as the air continued to intermittently grace her pale skin. It was him. The beast knew no bounds.

Well, considered Integra with slight amusement, if this was his game, she'd have no trouble beating it. Honestly, the man placed too much account in his _ego_ if he really thought that breathing on her would ruffle her feathers!

Integra bit into her lip suddenly, as the cool, wet sensation of a tongue slid from the nape of her neck all the way up to just behind her ear. She could feel a shudder coming on, and she fought it successfully.

She would _kill_ him once the meeting was through! She would tear his body up with bullets again and again, without giving him time to reform. She would shut off his blood supply, and threaten to lock him away if such a thing like this were to ever occur again!

The sensation of a hand now began to tug at the tightly clasped collar of her shirt. Soft fingers worked their way into the cloth, pulling it aside ever so slightly. Integra thought wildly of excusing herself from the room, but knew resignedly that she had already been rude enough. It was absolutely imperative that no one discover that she was having...problems, shall we say, controlling her servant vampire.

The fingers had stopped their tickling movements, and again a tongue left its wetness upon her skin. She gritted her teeth and tried not to lean away from her invisible assailant. The heat of Integra's silent rage was beginning to mix with warmth of another kind, the two sources seeming almost to fuel each other.

The cool breaths were coming more fast upon her, causing her to wonder absently if her hair was being moved at all. Lips joined her skin now, and as they worked up and down the graceful curves of her slender neck, a hand wrapped around her waist from the other side of the high-backed wooden chair.

He defies physics, she thought, though really her thoughts had become much less frequent in the last several minutes.

A gentle nip at Integra's ear brought everything into slightly better focus. Enough focus to realize that everyone was staring at her. Every sensation she had just been feeling fled along with His presence as she scrutinized the faces of each round table member in an attempt to discern why they were looking at her.

When their faces yielded nothing, and the silence began to stretch uncomfortably long, Integra opened her mouth to speak. Gratefully, she was interrupted.

"I said, Sir Integra, what do you think we should do about the matter?" The short, balding man's beady eyes were regarding her seriously, and she felt the barest heat rise to her cheeks. It was a comment on her character that the woman had only just now begun to flush.

"Give me some time to think on the matter, gentlemen. I will have Walter get in touch with you in the morning."

Integra smiled inwardly at the startled expressions on their faces as they rose from their chairs one by one. She remained seated, watching as they each exited, before letting her hand slam down onto the table in front of her in a very uncharacteristic display of immaturity.

Heavens, was she regressing?! She had been behaving like some sort of hormone-driven prostitute allowing Alucard to touch her like that! She cursed her body silently for having responded.

"Sir Integra?" Walter's voice carried an undertone of unease, and she swiftly moved her hand from the tabletop to join the other in her lap.

"I'm fine, Walter. Have they all left, then?"

He gave a short nod. "Yes, Sir Integra."

She didn't approve of the look he was giving her, and rose from her seat with every intention of moving past him and going down to the dungeons with her gun. To her surprise, however, Walter would not move out of the doorway.

"Excuse me, Walter," she said a little more sharply than intended.

He was silent for a second, then sighed. "Sir Integra, please know that if you have need of my assistance at any time, I shall be within immediate reach."

Did he think she was getting weak? Integra nodded curtly and moved past him. "Thank you, Walter. You have been a blessing to the Hellsing family."

Anger and indignation at his words threatened to boil over as she stormed her way down to the dungeons for the second time in a little over a week. Pulling her gun from its place in her waist-coat pocket, she checked to see that it was loaded. It did not hold enough bullets for the task at hand, but they were blessed and would cause a sufficient amount of pain when aimed carefully by her skilled hand.

The air became cooler as she stepped into the dark, wet dungeon and began to make her way. Sweat beaded onto her skin as the dank air began to cling to her. The heavy clothing she wore began to stick to the soft skin underneath. She realized she was panting, and stopped for a moment to catch her breath.

"So weak," came a familiarly smug voice from nearby. "Human bodies are good-for-nothing sacks of meat."

Integra closed her eyes. This is not how she had wanted him to see her. As much as she did not want to admit it, it was clear that she had been overexerting herself. She reached up to feel her neck, gingerly. She had taken the bandages off several days ago, but a nasty new scar was still present. Now, as she felt around, she was surprised to find that the wound had shrunk considerably.

"What did you do to it?"

"A heh," came the short laughter. "Shouldn't the leader of the Hellsing family know about the healing properties a vampire's tongue can have?"

He materialized from the darkness, suddenly right in front of her.

"Perhaps your father withheld such knowledge out of worry that his little girl might have desires to explore such a thing, further," Alucard whispered with a glint of amusement in his glowing crimson eyes.

Integra wasted no time in rearing back to slap him across the cheek, and practically growled when he caught her wrist before it could reach him.

"How dare you defile my father's name in such a way!"

Alucard let go of her hand and stepped back to lean against the wall across from her, shrugging as he did so.

"You care so much about honor that it has become your weakness."

Integra pressed her lips into a thin white line as she considered his statement.

"You would know of honor?" she spat the words at him, reveling in reminding him of their arrangement as master and servant.

"You are nothing but a slave to the Hellsing family. How can a slave have honor?"

Alucard was silent, giving no indication of whether he was listening or not. Looking to one side, he pulled his glasses off and hung them in the air where they disappeared.

Integra fell silent as she watched him then remove his hat, followed by his coat. They too, disappeared.

"What..." she cleared her throat to sound more steady. "What are you doing?"

He stood before her now in only his black pants and white dress shirt. His red neck tie lay draped about his lean neck in disarray.

"At some moment during your pointless words about honor, you wished to see me in less."

Integra's eyes grew round with shock. She sputtered, trying to find words that wouldn't come.

"The thought was very fleeting, and did not specify _how much_ less, so I estimated that this would be sufficient."

His fangs gleamed in the faded light that a single dirty light bulb gave, and he grinned widely.

"Please correct me, if this is not as you wish, my Master."

Integra's voice had become dangerously low as she carefully considered her next words.

"You mock me, vampire. You dare play these games when you know that I have the power to cut you off from life itself?!"

Alucard's grin widened. "I believe that I have little to worry about. It seems to me that your subconscious and I are generally on the same side."

Integra's eyes narrowed to slits. "I could never have feelings for a monster."

Alucard began fiddling with the red tie at his neck. "I suppose sentiments like those are why you continue to deny it, then."

The tie was gone, and his fingers had begun nimbly working at the top buttons of his clean-looking white shirt.

"Stop. This. Instant!" Integra cried in alarm. He paused, and let his hands fall to his sides.

"Have I mentioned how fickle a place your mind is, Master?"

The vampire gazed down at her with his wine-red eyes as he continued lounging against the wall in front of her.

"You are a creature of surprising passion, but you never let it out. It builds inside of you, like an unquenchable thirst."

Alucard tilted his head back to gaze at her from beneath half-lowered lids. "Someday I will satisfy that thirst."


	5. Chapter Five

Integra would not admit to herself that she was losing it. She had been thinking the whole situation through, and did not know how to rectify things. Part of her cringed at the thought that it might partly be due to her not actually wanting too.

Blast his soul to _hell_. How dare he make her stomach twist in such an excruciating way?!

Integra shook her head with an air of annoyance and tried to return her thoughts to the book in her lap. She had been sitting in the library for the last few hours now, trying to read up on the old journals that previous masters of Alucard had written.

There was nothing like what she was going through in any of them.

Integra raised her eyebrows at the thought. She _had_ been the first female to command the Hellsing family, after all.

Slamming the book shut, she leaned her head back against the high back of the green velvet chair she'd been sitting in. Removing her glasses, she closed both eyes and sighed. She'd been reading by only the fire in the nearby hearth, and her eyes had acquired a dull ache from strain.

Another chair sat beside her, a coffee table in between. The two mostly faced the fire, but were slightly turned towards each other as well.

Feeling weary of searching sources that she knew would not have the answers she sought after, Integra found herself wishing that Alucard would appear. So they could have a little chat about the situation that he had put her in.

The response was almost immediate. Integra blinked once, and when her eyes opened a millisecond later, there he was. Sitting in the chair beside her, his eyes staring into the fire, but reflecting nothing.

"You rang?"

Integra sighed, and placed her glasses on the coffee table.

"You know what it is I wish to discuss with you?"

Alucard stretched his long legs out in front of himself and grinned.

"It wouldn't take a mind-reader to figure it out…"

Integra raised her eyebrows, and looked away in slight aggravation at his impertinence.

"How do I fix this, Alucard?" Her voice was steely, and demanding. This game, whether it was one she liked or not, had gone on far too long. Nothing interfered with her work. Ever.

He glanced at her before continuing to stare into the bright flames before them.

"The only traitor here is the one within you."

Integra pursed her lips in anger, and bit her tongue to keep from yelling. Beyond the pride, however, there was a voice telling her that what he had said was true.

If she had no feelings for him, no inappropriate desires, then he would remain powerless. She had given him the power freely.

Desperation ate away at the shell she had fought years to forge, especially against _him_.

Rubbing her temple with one hand, she muttered, "You are right…Alucard."

A short, but clearly smug, laugh was his only response.

"However," she continued, "it can not remain this way. Hellsing will crumble, and you know better than anyone that I would _die_ before letting that happen."

She peered at him from the corner of her vision and was surprised to see that it seemed as though he were thinking about the things she had said.

"You _know_ I don't care."

Integra swallowed her distaste heavily. "I know you would prefer freedom to this. But I also know that, somehow, I am different from your previous masters."

Still watching him, she was pleased to see him arch an eyebrow at this.

"You flatter yourself, _Massster_." She felt she could almost see the word floating through the air towards her, swollen with condescension.

"Oh, do not play games with me, Vampire," she spat angrily. "I may not be able to read your thoughts, but _believe_ me when I say that they are not as well-guarded as you might like to think!"

His grin quickly faded into a sour frown, and he fingered one of the buttons on his coat.

"I have things to do. I will be on my way, now."

"I am ordering you to stay here, Alucard," Integra snapped. "I have things to do, as well, but we are not leaving until this has been settled!"

The vampire's eyes glittered dangerously, seeming to burn with light more intense than that of the fire.

"What would you have me do, Master? Kiss the ground you walk upon? Lick your feet at the end of the day?"

Integra leaped up from her chair, skin grown taught and white with barely suppressed rage. She was livid.

In one stride, she towered over him suddenly, with one leg planted firmly on either side of his. A slender pale hand with the strength of ice grabbed the vampire's loose red necktie and jerked him up towards her face.

"_I should rip the tongue from your mouth_," she hissed through a tightly clenched jaw.

Alucard had made no moves to defend himself, but only stared up at her silently. His eyes remained full of fire, but burned for a different reason.

"Integra," he growled huskily. "It was your sweet blood that awakened me those several years ago, when you were just a girl. You've become an adult, but not yet a woman."

With that, his hand shot up and, cupping the back of her head, he brought her mouth down upon his.

Her lips tightened only briefly before relaxing and joining his in frenzied movements. Shoving him farther back in his chair, she deepened the kiss and ripped at his shirt. Buttons showered the floor, making light tinkling sounds as her hands searched the pale chest before her.

Alucard's hands twisted through her hair, never relinquishing his hold upon her. Integra gasped for air, and he allowed her less than a second before claiming her lips once again.

Working down from her hair, soft fingers left a trail of shivers down her neck to where he suddenly pulled her jacket away revealing a pale shoulder drenched in firelight.

She stopped, momentarily shocked by his actions, but before she could think, he had begun to kiss her neck, sending warmth to tingle its way through her body.

Neither of them seemed aware of the figure approaching from out of the fire's reach until it was too late.

"Sir Integra, I thought you might enjoy a cup of tea while you…oh…my…"

(A/N: Heheheh….sorry guys. See the PG-13 rating?! Thanks so much for all of the lovely reviews, too. I don't thank you guys enough. It really really means a lot to me.)


	6. Chapter Six

Integra had been humiliated. It was an unusual feeling for her. Not one she'd experienced much during her life. If anything, she'd spent a great deal of time and energy devoted to avoiding embarrassment or…or shame.

Integra sat down on the edge of her bed and, after removing her glasses, drew a pale hand over her face and sighed. Flashed images of no more than half an hour ago still flashed uncomfortably through her mind. Leaning back, Integra rested her head on one of the forest green decorative pillows and tried not to think too much about what had happened.

Walter had gone into a state of shock. No matter what he'd been thinking lately, she knew that actually seeing it had proven almost too much for him to handle. This wasn't supposed to happen. The leader of Hellsing, destroyer of the vampires, guardian of her Majesty, was _not_ supposed to have unnatural relations with the undead. There were no "ifs, ands, or buts" about it.

Integra closed her eyes, and began slowly unbuttoning her jacket. When she'd left Walter in the library, her legs had not been cooperating. They'd felt shaky, like the bones had disappeared. Her first wild thought had been that perhaps Alucard had done this to her. Perhaps the feeling would fill her body until she could no longer move. Then he would break the seals with her helpless to stop him.

Then she'd realized what it was, and that he _had_ been responsible. Just not in that way.

Her skin tingled a little and her veins still burned dully. Integra cursed under breath. She still wanted him. The thought caused a sudden wariness to blossom within her as though she expected him to show up in a cloud of black mist.

When Walter had…when he had found them, Alucard had disappeared pretty quickly. Integra smirked at the thought that an age-old vampire might actually still possess the ability to feel embarrassment.

She shook her head, and shrugged out of her jacket with a sigh. Standing, she finished undressing in front of her large wardrobe and slipped into her white silk night gown.

Integra was passing her vanity, when she suddenly felt the urge to stop and look at her reflection. It was just her looking back, but somehow she was bothered by this. She knew he should be appearing, considering she couldn't seem to stem the flow of sensory memories. It was as though she could still feel his cool breath on her neck.

And yet, that's all it was. A memory. Furrowing her brow, she regarded herself sternly, and sniffed. It was just as well. This was not something that should be continued. She needed to cease the foolishness immediately.

"I swear, with the promise of bodily pain, that this ends tonight."

Feeling slightly more satisfied, her reflection nodded, and she slipped into bed, flipping the switch on the lamp beside her.

She was just drifting off to sleep when the heavy curtains at the foot of her bed stirred. It was a gentle movement, but Integra had gone through too many years of training to let such details go unnoticed. She was suddenly wide awake.

"Evening," drolled a low and familiar voice.

Integra's eyes narrowed, and she sighed in exasperation. She tried to push her glasses higher on her nose, and felt slightly flustered when she remembered that they were still on the beside table where she'd left them earlier.

"Alucard, I need you to understand that this is something that can _not_ continue." Integra ground her teeth, knowing full well that her servant had never been one to be concerned with what could and couldn't be done.

"Ah, master," he said, sounding almost wistful. "And you had been so close to finally letting me teach you a few things about this world." _Almost _wistful.

Integra leaned back against her pillows and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.

"Alucard…" She looked up and glared at him. "I am ordering you to renounce your claim upon my desires."

She could tell, even just from his silence, that he could sense her complete seriousness. She truly wanted it to stop. There was too much at stake.

There was a sigh in the darkness somewhere near the foot of her bed.

"Fine."

Integra made a small scoffing sound. "The mighty No-Life King is surrendering? I feel a desire to phone the Queen and reveal this startling news."

There was a low chuckle, and then, "No."

Integra folded her arms over her chest. "No, what?"

"I've renounced nothing."

Integra's lips went tight. "Then you are disobeying a direct ord--"

"--No," he cut her off.

She stopped, her heart beginning to quicken its pace out of frustration.

"I was never compelled to obey your desires."

"What…?"

Alucard appeared from the shadows and sat beside her on the bed. His hair shimmered like the purest of black silk, reflecting the moonlight that flowed in from the balcony window.

"I was always aware of them, Integra…" his voice had acquired a slightly husky timbre, and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck raising in response.

"However," he raised a chilly finger to her lips to silence the protests that he somehow knew were threatening to spill over from between them.

"The supposed 'slip of your tongue,'" he paused just long enough to laugh dryly. "occurred while you were dreaming."

Integra frowned at him, her anger lost in the effort of trying to discern what the man was getting at.

He sighed contemptibly. "I have no more power over you in your dreams than any other character your mind chooses to create. Words spoken in dreams have no power over anyone but the speaker." He shook his head condescendingly. "These are things you should already know, Master."

Shock at his words numbed her system for a full minute as the meaning began to sink in.

"You deceived me," she whispered, her eyes gone wide and wild-looking.

She turned her gaze to him. "You claimed to be bound by something that you were not."

His wine-colored eyes glowed dully. They were near, and something deep within them flashed.

"How is it that you were able to disobey my orders, then? If you were not bound by my desires, how is it that you were not forced to bend to my words?"

Integra watched as his long, pale face broke into a wide grin.

"It has been a while since you checked the seals, Master. Perhaps you should do so?"

"No," she gasped as he traced the side of her face mockingly with one pure white gloved hand.

There were no symbols.

"I've been busy, Integra. You, of all people, should have known that I would someday find a way to free myself."

His grin faded, and he leaned forward, his chin titled slightly upward. Gently, he cooed, "how does it feel to be the one to let me get away?"

Integra had broken out in a cold sweat, as she realized the position she was in. Defenseless, in the dark, with a blood-thirsty beast. She cursed herself repeatedly in every tongue she knew, trying not to let the emotions bubble up to the surface. But of course, he would know what she was thinking anyway…

Feeling her hands go clammy, she looked up into the face of her enemy. She saw his look of triumph, and suddenly, it was as though something snapped within her.

"Get out, you filthy beast," she fumed, letting the words slip past her clenched teeth like coiled snakes. "You have until the count of three to remove yourself from my home, or so help me, myself and the rest of the Hellsing family will do it for you."

She lunged forward and gripped his long neck with one small fist, knuckles gone white and shaking with the applied pressure.

"One," she gasped, her eyes burning.

He laughed.

"Two," she squeezed harder.

He frowned.

"Three!"

With that word, her fist slammed shut upon itself as the vampire dissolved into the night.

She slammed it down onto the bed beside her, and barely restrained the scream of rage that wanted so desperately to be released.

Suddenly, her fist softened, and she found herself covering her face with both hands, shaking silently. Everything she had worked for was gone. Everything she'd given up living for. She'd given up life for duty, and she had failed.

Dry eyes burned, as though through years of disuse, they were unfamiliar with what was supposed to come next.

Integra felt numb, and shaking, tried to stand. She needed to tell Walter. Needed to alert the men. Stumbling, she grabbed the bedpost for strength. No. No. No.

Flying to the window, she tore it open and began to scream. "Aluuuucaaard!!!!"

She screamed his name over and over until her throat felt as though it would come undone any second from now. She wondered, dimly, where Walter was. Surely he would have come running at the first of her screams.

The thought came to her then, like a sorrowfully whispered message in the doorway by uniformed men… perhaps she was the only one left. Perhaps everyone was dead, and he had left her alive, knowing she would spend her short existence praying to join them.

Integra sank to her knees, staring down at the glistening grounds of Hellsing below. Dew had formed over everything, and in the pale light of the moon, all was cast in shadow. She thought she could see movement, and felt her heart skip a beat.

A figure stepped out from behind a tall pine. It was _him_.

Cold fury radiated from her body as Integra gained her feet and grabbed her gun before finding herself flying through Hellsing's empty halls and out the doubled doors of a breezeway that lead out to the grounds.

Not hesitating, she tore through the cold wet grass towards him, stopping only two feet away. Raising her gun, she emptied it into his face.

"You killed them all, you _monster_! How _dare_ you assume that you would be permitted to leave here and get away with this?!"

Alucard enveloped the bullets within himself and grinned down at her. "I assumed no such thing."

Integra felt her eye twitch.

Alucard stepped closer. "Allow me to make myself more clear." He leaned down until his face was level with hers. She stared him down, never flinching.

"It was never my intention to leave."

She sneered at him, but he continued before she could use some choice words.

"And, though I could easily have done what you have accused me of doing, you will find upon your return to the mansion that everyone is safe and…well…they are safe."

Integra gritted her teeth, trying with every fiber to remain civil so that she might press him for more information.

"Why?" was all she could manage, and even it sounded like it had been meant as a slap.

Without warning, Alucard took her hand. There was a moment of dizziness before Integra realized that she was standing in her bedroom once again. Her feet, still cold and covered in dew and small blades of grass, served as the only reminder that she'd ever been outside.

Integra looked up at Alucard, her eyes flashing at his condescending grin in regard to her bewilderment.

It was something he would never have been able to do while the seals remained. A dull ache spread through out her abdomen, and Integra almost doubled over at the immense weight of guilt weighing upon her as she remembered.

"Why stay to gloat? You have shown your hollow mercies, now leave me to grieve in peace."

She made her way over to the bed that lay waiting for her, still slightly warm beneath the covers. Slipping between the cloth, she leaned her head back against the headboard and closed her eyes.

"I told you," the vampire whispered. "I have no intention of leaving." There was a pause, in which Integra didn't move or respond.

"I…" There was another pregnant pause. "I have chosen to ally myself with you."

Integra looked up in shock, her features creased with doubt.

Alucard stood beside her, his face darkly grim. She watched as he kneeled in front of her. "Sir Integra, though I may no longer be bound to the Hellsing family, it is you who I have chosen as my master for as long as that may be."

He raised his head, to see that Integra had placed one hand over her mouth, and was staring down at his form in disbelief.

"Now, as ever, Integra…your wish shall be my every command."

(A/N: Nope, this isn't the end. You might say...this is just the beginning, hehe. Thanks for the reviews. I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I am. Stay tuned to find out what happens next. Sorry about no smoochies )


	7. Chapter Seven

Integra fainted. It was not something that had ever happened before, and he was quite doubtful about it ever happening again. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards briefly as he slowed her progress backwards onto the bed. 

Alucard looked down at her, watching her breath gently in and out. After a moment, he stirred himself, and silently left the room.

She would need sleep in order to endure the coming day.

* * *

Integra woke up to bright sunlight beaming down upon her face. Covering her eyes with one hand, she blinked several times before reaching over to her nightstand and putting on her glasses. 

Then she remembered the night before. Leaping to her feet, she almost tripped in her hurry to get to the wardrobe and change so that she could check that everything was in order like Alucard had said it would be. He'd lied to her more than once, what was stopping him from lying again?

Integra was just finished fiddling with her hastily applied necktie, when she heard a gentle knock on the door to her room. Startled, she hesitated a moment before calling out, "Enter."

Walter appeared, carrying a tray of tea and breakfast. "Good morning ma'am, I hope you slept well?"

Dumbfounded, Integra stared as he set the tray down and stood patiently waiting for her response.

Was no one but her privy to the knowledge that Alucard had revealed only a few short hours ago?

"I trust you are aware of what transpired last evening, Walter?"

It took a slight blush rising to the man's cheeks for her to realize her mistake.

"Ah, no, no! Not that!" Integra covered her face briefly and sighed. "I meant…afterwards."

Walter bowed slightly, his composure having been quickly recovered.

"Then, no, Sir Integra, I do not believe I am."

Integra frowned as she sat and began to eat. Seeing that Walter intended to leave, she stopped him.

"You did not experience anything out of the ordinary during the night?"

She saw that he had paused, halfway out the door. "Well, perhaps it would be of interest to you that I seem unable to remember at what point I went to bed."

Integra turned to look at him, not understanding.

"What I mean to say is that, I remember making the trip towards my quarters, and then I remember waking up in bed to my alarm hours later."

He raised a questioning eyebrow. "I had assumed it was a matter of, eh…old age. However, am I correct in assuming from your facial expression that it might have been otherwise?"

Integra stood and discarded her white cloth napkin into the empty seat. "I want a survey taken of everyone in the Hellsing household. Find out if your experience was unique or not. Report back immediately, once you know."

She watched Walter leave before allowing a scowl to cross her face. There was no doubt in her mind that Alucard had been responsible for Walter's missing hours. It was the perfect explanation to why no one had responded to her cries.

Integra went over to her nightstand with the intention of retrieving her small gun, then realized it was missing from its usual place. She remembered having taken it out to the grounds with her, but did not remember what had happened to it after that point. Perhaps it was still out there?

Slightly frustrated, Integra decided there were more important things that needed her attention, and stepped out of her bedroom without another look back.

A few minutes later, Integra was sitting behind her desk, attempting to keep her mind on her work. She had yet to give an answer to the members of the round table, and still felt ashamed of herself for having behaved so unprofessionally in the meeting.

Why _hadn't _she told Walter? She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that of all the staff here at Hellsing, he was the one she could trust with the darkest of secrets. This _was_ a dark secret. She wasn't sure if Alucard would keep it that way, but…

No. It was absolutely imperative that his freedom remain in the dark. No one would trust that she had everything under control. She knew they doubted it even with the supposed seals in place.

Heaving a sigh, Integra turned back to flipping papers back and forth, signing, and reading. When a blotch of ink seemed to be forming in the middle of one of her pages, she stopped reading and grimaced. It burst open suddenly revealing a large red eye.

"Alucard, I sincerely hope for your sake that you did not _actually_ harm this very important treaty that I've been working on for the past hour and a half."

The eye blinked at her, and she gave him a warning glance, before shifting the offending page to one side. "Unless you truly wish England to be overrun with gnomes, I would remove yourself immediately."

As expected, the eye disappeared, leaving a perfectly smooth piece of paper behind.

The rest of Alucard materialized slightly behind Integra's chair, and he leaned over her shoulder to read what she was working on.

"Gnomes, Master? How can you be worrying about that when there's a vampire on the loose?"

Integra laid her letter opener down and began rifling through a drawer full of files. With the barest of smiles, she said, "if your are referring to yourself, Alucard, then I'm sure I needn't remind you what a loose term 'loose' can be."

She tried to suppress the fact that she was pleased with the chuckle she received in response.

"Using puns now, are we?" He snatched up the letter opener from her desk and held the glinting tip to her neck.

"Yes, I've always heard that humor is an excellent way of helping one…forget…" he traced the edge along the pink scar that ran delicately towards her collar bone.

Shrugging Alucard away from herself, Integra continued to silently read and sign documents until he laid the letter opener back down on her desk. After another moment of silence, broken only by the scratching of pen to page, the vampire began to chuckle.

"Mmm?" Integra enquired.

"It would seem that I have some business to attend to as well, my master." Integra turned slightly, only to see Alucard's red coat fading into the wall beside her father's portrait.

She was only a little curious as to what he might have meant, however, before Integra even had the chance to think on it, a gust of wind blew open the door to her office, swirled around her twice, and left the same way it had come. She could hear it blowing down the hall, disturbing the paintings that hung along the way.

Confused, Integra picked up her phone and called for Walter. Or tried to. Touching a pale hand to her throat, she attempted to force a cough, and found that no sound came out. She could hear him on the other line, asking if she was there. Dropping the phone, ignoring the way it swung against her desk with loud knocks, Integra stood and continued her attempts to make a sound.

Walter appeared very soon after she had stood, and stopped when he saw her. He watched, alarmed, as she groped around on her throat while appearing to silently gasp like a fish on sand.

"Sir Integra!"

* * *

Alucard lounged silently in his favorite chair beneath the belly of the Hellsing Manor. A wide grin stretched unnaturally across his face as he waited for the wind to come to him. 

Impatient after only a moment, he began to speak before it had reached him. He knew it would have no trouble hearing.

"I thought I had gotten rid of you for good." His words dripped with cold amusement. Alucard laughed more to himself than anything, and tugged at a sleeve of his coat in an almost bored manner.

"I must say that I'm rather impressed that you chose to return for revenge, however I feel I must warn you of your impending failure…" The vampire paused and cocked an ear as if listening for a response. When there was none, his grin grew wider and he continued.

"If you couldn't triumph over a little girl, what makes you think you'll be able to beat the woman she's grown into? Surely you don't believe that selling your soul to the devil will be enough, hmm? It wasn't worth much in the first place…"

At that moment, wind could be heard whistling its way through the dank halls, ruffling the vampire's hat and fluttering his night black hair.

"Mmm, that feels nice," purred Alucard. "Is that really all you've got… _Richard Hellsing_?"

The wind whipped itself into a devilish funnel cloud in front of Alucard's chair, then slowly dissipated…leaving behind a thin man with limp brown hair and an unkempt moustache.

"You should not be so surprised to find me back, Vampire," he hissed.

Alucard leaned back in his chair, and brushed a mote of lint from its armrest.

"Not surprised…I've been aware of your plans to return for years. You should know that I'm always aware of what's happening in hell." He laughed, then leaned forward into the light, his fangs shining. "How was it? Did they treat you well? Did they raise a toast to the traitorous man brought down by a little girl's first shot?"

Richard Hellsing sneered at the vampire before him, but remained silent.

Alucard's grin widened. "We shall see. Let the game begin, then."

Seemingly unable to contain his rage any longer, Sir Integra's uncle took a step forward, his fists clenched. "This is no game, you hideous _fool_!"

A spray of spittle landed an inch or so from Alucard's shoe, eliciting a low growl from the vampire.

"You remain in this world because I am bored." He leaned back into the shadows once more. "Do not flatter yourself."

Richard Hellsing's laughter rang out through the darkness, blending with its own echoes.

"You bluff, vampire."

With that, the winds came again, and carried the man out of sight.

* * *

Integra sat at her desk, a very concerned Walter standing over her, as she attempted to hold a pen and write him a message. 

Where were the words! She wanted to scream and stab someone with the pen, but none of that would change the fact that it seemed she'd forgotten how to write.

The scribbles on the page looked like a child's scrawling, and she finally did throw the pen away from herself in frustration. Patiently, Walter retrieved it.

"We will figure out what is happening to you, Sir Integra. On my honor, I swear it."

She watched helplessly as he left, then stared down at the page again. To her shock, she realized that the lines were beginning to make sense to her.

Richard Hellsing, it read. _Richard_? Oh no. Surely not. Her uncle? It had to be a trick of some kind. Another play by the enemy to make her believe she was losing her mind.

Feeling a panic coming on, she dialed Walter again.

As soon as he had returned, she realized her mistake almost immediately. Walter could not see what she was seeing.

Frustrated, she tried to trace her finger along the lines and repeatedly mouth the two now infinitely important words to him.

Walter's expression was one of great worry and sympathy, and Integra struggled not to rise up and smack him for not understanding. Feeling something slide out of her open and silently yelling mouth, she looked down at her jacket in horror.

She had spit on herself.

That was the final straw. Standing abruptly, she shoved Walter to one side as she stormed out of her office with the intention of heading towards the dungeons. There was no longer a doubt in her mind that this had something to do with the "business" Alucard had spoken of earlier.

She would be able to communicate with him, or at the very least, he would hear her mental screams of anger. More than anything else, Integra felt a very strong desire to have someone to direct her anger towards and have it not fall on deaf ears.

Remembering the spot on her jacket, Integra groaned within herself before changing course and striding to her room to change. Once she had reached the doorway and thrown open the door, she did not hesitate to pull open her wardrobe and take out a clean jacket.

Warily satisfied that at least this was all right, she changed and looked at herself in the mirror. Chills swept through her as she caught sight of a man with limp brown hair standing behind her. Whirling around, she tried to curse the fact that she still did not remember where she'd put her gun.

There was no one there, and considering her experience with the mirrors in Hellsing manor, she was really not that surprised.

She was about to leave her room, when the door slammed shut. Instantly enraged, Integra made as if to twist the doorknob off, but was stopped by another hand on hers. Looking up, she saw Alucard, standing in her way of the door.

"Move!" she shouted at him mentally.

"No," he responded with a grin.

"Alucard, what the hell is going on!"

She jerked her hand out from beneath his and took a step back, folding her arms.

The vampire sighed, seeing that she would not be moved until he had revealed something. "Richard Hellsing. He wants revenge and has decided that you and I are his target." He glanced up, as though thinking. "Mostly you, however."

"Oh, _please_, Alucard." Integra shot back. "Any fool could guess that. Now, tell me something I don't know."

She waited, glaring at the vampire garbed in red. Annoyed that his attentions seemed elsewhere, her arm swept up as though she were about to give a stiff salute. Now pointing to her mouth, she waited.

Alucard glanced briefly at Integra's face before getting back to his previous distraction. "Forgive me master, but I must confess I'm rather enjoying myself..."

Confused, Integra followed his intense gaze slightly downward. Face reddening, she realized she had failed to securely button her jacket, and that Alucard had been admiring the view it gave as her chest rose and fell with each impatient breath.

"We must stop your uncle as soon as possible, Integra."

Surprised by the tone of his voice, she looked up.

The vampire's eyes held a familiarly hungry look. "I will not be satisfied until you are able to…vocalize."

His grin widened eagerly when Integra responded with a thin smile. "I don't care what your reasons for helping me are, as long as they are enough to ensure your complete cooperation." Throwing open the door, she strode determinedly into the hall and commanded Alucard to follow. "You will be my voice, now. Call everyone together. A meeting. In the main hall. Immediately."

Integra looked behind herself as she walked and saw that she was now alone. Chuckling silently, she listened as the Hellsing Manor was filled with the low booming voice of her servant vampire.

"**All members of Hellsing are to make way to the main hall immediately. Sir Integra Hellsing has a message for all of you." **

Grinning, Integra buttoned her jacket absentmindedly and continued to make her way downstairs to the main hall. Doors quickly began to open around her. Faces round with confusion stared as she walked. Soon, Integra was in the lead of a massive following of people. Cooks, maids, soldiers, accountants, everyone of Hellsing began to walk silently behind her.

Swarming the halls, they went, unwilling to break the silence that had been begun by the first few to follow. At one point, a familiar figure appeared beside her. Without slowing, Integra nodded at Walter. He nodded back, wordless as everyone behind them was wordless. The pounding of their feet became a tremendous thing, causing the floors to vibrate and it was almost as if the entire building was giving off a low hum.

Walter stretched his wires experimentally, letting them glint and twist in the light from a large bay window. "You have only to nod your head, Sir Integra," he whispered. "That will be my command."

At last, the massive group reached the back entrance of the main hall, only to find that many had already arrived.

Alucard appeared beside Integra, hands clasped in front of himself, face uncharacteristically serious. Whispers rippled through the crowd, and a great shifting was heard as everyone turned to see their leader make her way through the middle of them and to the front of the hall.

As soon as everything had returned to stillness and silence, Integra looked over them all and dipped her head to Alucard.

"_I will be speaking for Sir Hellsing until a way to release the spell on her voice has been found_."

Again, a low buzzing of whispers surged through the crowd. This sort of meeting was a first for even the most aged of Hellsing staff. And among these, none had ever heard of a time when evil was so strong as to take a Hellsing's voice. It was their power, after all.

The vampire's presence also proved to be very unsettling to the crowd. Many had heard rumors of Alucard, but few had actually seen his flesh and blood before. They craned their necks to see him, wishing they could later tell their friends and family, then waited for him to continue.

"_An old enemy has come back to haunt me_." Alucard paused, waiting for the rest. "_It is revenge he seeks. He knows me. He knows Hellsing. Revenge is personal, and he will not hesitate to strike in the weakest places."_

Alucard grinned. "_THAT WOULD MEAN ALL OF YOU." _Integra whipped her head towards him, and shot the vampire a nasty look as the crowd shifted uneasily. She had not told him to say it like that.

"_The voice of Hellsing can not be cut off through mere witchcraft. Continue your work as usual, and remain vigilant at all times. Report anything unusual to either myself, Walter, or Alucard. We are unsure of what this particular enemy is capable of, at this time. Again. Remain vigilant, and continue to work as usual. That is all."_

A fairly loud hum of noise rose as everyone began to discuss and wonder about the things they had heard. It continued momentarily, until a young man raised his hand and shouted, "Does this have to do with the missing time we all seem to have experienced last night!"

Integra froze, knowing that Alucard could take this moment if he wanted, to reveal his freedom.

Alucard turned to face Integra as he spoke. "_It should be clear to all that a very great and terrible evil has been loosed_."

A collective shudder ran through the crowd. Talk of insufficient salaries would surely dominate the household conversations for many hours afterward.

Integra frowned at the way Alucard was looking down at her so cockily. She was grateful that he had chosen to keep things a secret, but it still did not mean that she thought he was being altruistic.

The vampire began chuckling at her thoughts, then disappeared. Mouthing a string of curse words at his disappearing form, Integra looked down at the slowly dissipating crowd.

Walter appeared beside her again.

"Is there anything you need, Sir Integra?" he asked, monocle reflecting the great white lights that hung from the hall's high ceiling.

Integra responded by pulling a cigar from an inner waist coat pocket, and placing it between her teeth.

Walter bowed slightly and, with the faintest trace of a knowing smile, pulled the lighter from his pocket and lit the tip.

Caught up in the tastes and sensations of her fresh cigar, it took her a moment to register confusion at why the lighter might have suddenly dropped to the marble floors with a loud clack. She watched it spinning brightly for a moment, top still open, then looked up at Walter, feeling oddly slow.

He seemed to be having trouble with something, and she tried to grab him as he swayed where he stood. A gasp of pain caused his eyepiece to fall and swing free.

Integra tried to yell for help, but no one could hear.

It wasn't until she found herself unable to steady him any longer, and when Walter fell to the ground clutching his chest with one hand, and Integra's shoulder with the other, that the buzz of activity from what crowd that was left began to cease.

"Somebody call an ambulance!" a voice cried at last. Several people ran out of the hall to get a phone, and the rest continued to stare unbelieving at the sight of Hellsing's most famous butler, lying prostrate on the ground.

Sir Hellsing was kneeling beside him, clutching his white shirt, and silently shaking.

* * *

A/N: Hi, again. I'm really really sorry that this took me so long to get up. I wanted it to be really good, and I was having trouble figuring out where to take things. I hope you enjoyed this, I always love getting comments! Thanks a lot for being so patient. You guys should thank whoever sent me the email for giving me a much needed kick in the butt, lol. Hopefully the next installment won't take so long… sigh 


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